West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo is acutely aware of the huge financial impact relegation would have on the club.
Dropping out of the Premier League would not just mean a fire sale of players eager to return to the top flight. The drop in revenue would also lead to cuts behind the scenes, affecting everyone from ticketing staff to catering and others who keep the club running day to day.
Todibo highlights reality behind relegation threat
The £35m defender has shown the kind of leadership and fight that will be crucial for West Ham’s survival bid by pledging to protect those working at the club.
Speaking on West Ham’s official website, Todibo said: “As players, we are talking about the people who are working for us in the Club – the staff, the player care, the guys who work in the media – and the fans, because if the Club goes down, there are some people who are going to lose their jobs. So, [we are] trying to save everyone because they are really important for the Club, important for us. They take care of us, so the mission for us is to give them back the love that they give us every day.”
Selection dilemma ahead of Wolves clash
Todibo is not guaranteed to start against Wolves tomorrow, although it is understood he has been declared fit to play.
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If Nuno Espirito Santo opts for his likely 4-4-2 formation, it means one of Todibo, Konstantinos Mavropanos or Axel Disasi could miss out.
Fight for survival runs through the squad
Let’s be fair, all three centre-backs will fight to the end for West Ham and scrap for every point.
But Todibo, it seems, has made it his personal mission to protect those behind the scenes as well as help secure Premier League survival.